Shoreline Management

What is a Shoreline Management Plan (SMP)?

A Shoreline Management Plan is a non-statutory policy document for coastal defence management planning. It takes account of other existing planning initiatives and legislative requirements, and is intended to inform wider strategic planning. It does not set policy for anything other than coastal defence management.

SMP's are an important part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair's strategy for flood and coastal defence, and should inform, and be supported by, the statutory planning process.

An SMP aims to provide a broad large-scale assessment of the risks associated with coastal evolution and to balance the management of coastal flooding and erosion risks associated with coastal processes such as waves and tides. It then aims to present a policy framework to address the risks to people and the developed, historic and natural environment in a sustainable manner over the next 100 years.